(SC)Dark Shadows Story Arcs (Spoilers)

Victoria Winters
Victoria Winters arrives at Collinwood as governess for David Collins and encounters strange goings-on in the old mansion. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard has a secret and never leaves the Collinwood estate. Her daughter Carolyn is staying out to all hours. Roger Collins, David's father, is afraid that someone is trying to kill him. And Burke Devlin has returned to Collinsport.

Bill Malloy, Elizabeth's right-hand man, threatens to publicly reveal hushed-up details about the feud between Roger Collins and Burke Devlin, and involving Sam Evans. Malloy's body is then discovered floating in the waters at the base of Widow's Hill. Victoria's curiosity of the murder leads her to get kidnapped by the murderer, Matthew (a servant to the Collins). The ghost of Bill Malloy appears to Victoria Winters, and later the ghost of Josette du Pres emerges from her portrait at the old house. The spirits of wailing women are heard from Widow's Hill.

Jason McGuire, an old friend of Elizabeth's long-missing husband Paul Stoddard, shows up and insinuates himself into the Collins household. He knows a dark secret about Elizabeth's missing husband and, much to the family's dismay, she submits to his demands, which includes allowing his violent drifter friend Willie Loomis to stay at Collinwood.

Barnabas Collins, a nearly two-hundred-year-old vampire, is released from his coffin by Willie Loomis and brings terror to Collinsport. Doctor Julia Hoffman is called to investigate the strange kidnapping of Maggie Evans, a Collinsport waitress whom the vampire believes to be the reincarnation of his long lost love, Josette du Pres.

Jason continues to believe the remainder of the jewels are sealed up inside the coffin, which he is determined to open. Knowing all too well what may happen, Willie backs away as McGuire lifts the lid... Barnabas' hand shoots out and grabs Jason's neck!

Night is falling, and the fog rolls in from the sea. Victoria and Burke return from their walk and, having witnessed firsthand David's attitude, Burke agrees to living in the West Wing. Victoria's joy is short-lived, however, as she begins to worry over Burke's impending absence. She startles as she hears the Widows' wail, which reminds her of the legend of the women who lost loved ones on Widows' Hill. Burke tries to convince her it is only the wind, but the wailing sound persists as he takes her back inside Collinwood.

episode 366 (November 14, 1967) to 460 (March 29, 1968)

1795

A séance is held in the great house at Collinwood, during which Victoria Winters travels back in time to the year 1795. In that era, Barnabas is still an ordinary human being, but becomes the object of desire for a deadly witch Angelique Bouchard, who invokes the vampiric curse upon him. Meanwhile, Victoria is accused of witchcraft by the paranoiac Rev. Trask. She's defended in court by Peter Bradford, a man who follows her back through time to the 20th century.

episode 409 (January 18, 1968)Josette finds the Collins family book
episode 410 (January 19, 1968)Barnabas dies
episode 411 (January 22, 1968)Barnabas comes back to life and finds out what he has become

Angelique, a witch who tricked Barnabas into marrying her in the 1790s, returns. At the same time, Barnabas and Dr. Julia Hoffman explore the possibility of freeing Barnabas from his curse, by giving life to an artificial being called Adam. The plotline is based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

A werewolf (Chris Jennings) is loose on the Collins estate and the ghost of Quentin Collins is terrorizing the children, David Collins and Amy Jennings. The source material is Henry James' The Turn of the Screw.

In order to save the imperilled David and unravel the mystery of Quentin's ghost, Barnabas travels back in time using the I Ching. He encounters Angelique, the phoenix Laura Collins, a gypsy curse, lycanthropy, and the severed hand of the dreaded Count Petofi. The character of Rachel Drummond is based on Jane Eyre.

Barnabas is laying on the alter as the two mysterious hooded figures conclude their ritual over him. The man says that Barnabas will know them when he wakes up, and he will lead them to a new and everlasting life.

In a closed-off section of the house, Barnabas and Julia discover a doorway to a parallel universe, where the master of the house Quentin Collins has recently married Maggie Evans, who finds herself threatened by the vengeful spirit of Quentin's first wife, Angelique. Elements of this plot line are derived from the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Ghosts from the 1840s possess David Collins and Hallie Stokes. Barnabas and Julia try to find a way to prevent the future destruction of Collinwood. The basic plot line here is again based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

Using a stairway through time hidden within the walls of Collinwood, Julia travels back to the 1840s to unravel the mystery of Gerard and Daphne Harridge. When Barnabas joins her they find an unexpected ally in their old foe, Angelique.

In a parallel universe Bramwell Collins returns home to find that his true love, Catherine Harridge, has married his wealthy cousin, Morgan Collins. The Collins family is under a curse that requires them to hold a lottery, the loser to spend the night in a room that will leave them either dead or insane. Elements of this plot line were derived from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, as well as The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.